Barefoot and Breathing
by Bork and Beans
Summary: Loki's deal with the Chitauri has not only affected Earth but another realm as well. This causes something from Loki's past to bubble up and come back into his life again, someone he had almost entirely forgotten about. Now that she's back and he's interested, how will she escape him when she wants to leave? Will Bruce be the one to break the bond that has always been there?


**AN: So, if you know me you'll know that I've written a Loki/Avengers fic before, if not. Hello, welcome to my new story. Disclaimers, disclaimers. I don't own anything that you may recognize unless it is my character, then heck yes it is mine.**

**Another thing! Depending on whether or not you want to read background goodness, I'm working on a small back story about Pari, Thor, and Loki when they were kids. If you click my name it'll be there somewhere. Though I still am in the process of writing it so please be patient with me.**

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**Chapter One - From the Kingdom of Ariv**

Fury stood warily on the side of the helicarrier that was open to the sky around him; they had just captured Loki when she'd contacted him in the most peculiar way. He could still hear a small ringing from inside his head when she'd appeared in his mind; a burning fire erupted inside his head when she spoke to him. She spoke to him through his thoughts, with fiery eyes that burned like a lively flame he agreed to let her on the sky beast, because she had promised him her powers in order to stop Loki at all costs.

She went on to explain that she could be trusted and that as a child she had known Loki and Thor, and that Thor would recognize her and vouch for her faithfulness. When Fury had asked what would happen if he refused she merely smiled at him kindly before stating that she would cast his helicarrier out of the sky and watch it fall into the water beneath them. Of course he wasn't going to turn down help in the first place but if she had turned out to be a threat he had to know what he was dealing with in the beginning.

So he had agreed to let her come onto the ship on the condition that she do everything in her power to help stop Loki and whatever he was planning. He was really quite suspicious because the woman had spoken to him through his thoughts, so she had to be some sort of higher being like Thor, but why did she want to help? And what relationship did she have with Thor and Loki when they were younger?

A passing thought told Fury to ask Thor to join him while he waited so he did, and soon the God was standing next to him looking somewhat bored and a little anxious.

"Who is it that will arrive?" He asked gripping his hammer tightly.

"Someone you know," he stated letting the darkness of the night eat his words.

In a few moments there was a flash of light and then a fireball appeared far off in the sky above them, Fury looked upon it with dread, had the woman decided that it was not worth it. Was she going to throw them into the ocean as she had promised she would if he refused?

"What is that?" Thor questioned holding his hammer ready.

In the next few moments the fireball landed a few feet in front of them, stuck to the cold metal of the aircraft the flames danced in the wind before they started to fade away and reveal a person within them. Taking a step out from the fire a woman opened her eyes to stare at them before smiling towards Thor kindly. Fury had no words, he'd seen many things working for S.H.I.E.L.D but this was something new, no one had ever walked out of a fire before.

"It cannot be, Pari?" Thor took a shallow step towards the woman.

"It's been a long time hasn't it, Thor?" She murmured letting the flames around her vanish completely. That was when Fury noticed that her hair also seemed to be made of flames, it had taken him a moment to realize that it wasn't just going crazy with the wind around them it was actually burning like a torch, just like her eyes.

In another second two flames burst next to the woman, blocking her from moving any further she huffed and growled when two men burst out from the flames.

"My Lady, you cannot just rush off without telling anyone," they said in a stern voice.

"Apparently not," she muttered with a bored expression before turning her eyes on Fury. "I understand that Loki has caused trouble in your realm, but what he has done has also caused trouble in mine," she explained casting her eyes away from him for a second.

"My Lady," one of the men next to her tried to quiet her. The two soldiers were dressed in grey and red clothing, with light orange colored hair and shining green eyes they glared down at Thor and Fury as if they were thieves. It was their duty to protect Pari, even when she made it as hard as she always did, using her powers to get away from them, even if they could teleport it was nothing compared to their Princess.

"I ask that you let me stay with you on your flying beast, so that maybe I can help put an end to this problem before it gets any worse. If I cannot be of any help, I will leave," she said bowing her head towards Fury gently.

"Pari," Fury tested out her name. She raised her head with a serious look on her face; this was no playing matter, not some game or a trick she was playing on him. "How long do you plan on staying?" He asked letting a small smile play across his lips as well.

030

Walking down the hallway with a small skip in her step Pari smiled at her bodyguards cheerfully, they hated the fact that they had to watch over her since she never stayed put and could pretty much do whatever she wanted. But this was a serious matter, there was another race threatening her home realm and all the other ones that bordered it and it had something to do with Loki making a deal.

After what had happened when they were kids Pari wanted nothing to do with Loki, and she was pretty sure he felt the same way, but Thor, he had always been her friend.

"You matured very well," Thor commented as he walked beside her. Pari couldn't help but laugh at her old friend; he always knew what to say to make her laugh. "You used to be so puny," he went on chuckling along with her.

"You weren't so great either," Pari sneered turning to face him with a playful glare. "Always following Loki and I around, those were fun times," she mused before Fury ushered them through a door and into a larger meeting room.

Pari had always been fascinated by the creatures on Earth, what they created and destroyed; she'd once tried to explore it by herself only to have her father reprimand her halfway through her transit. She'd wanted to see the flying machines that they created and the ground beasts they used to get around, but her father had refused to let her go alone. That was years ago, and now that she was older she could explore everything, at least once she got the whole thing with Loki sorted out first.

Walking into the room surrounded by glass and computers Pari marveled at everything before her eyes came to rest on the other people in the room. There were a couple men standing next to each other, a woman with red hair staring defiantly up at Pari and a man with blond hair staring at Pari in slight wonder. She had to admit he was good looking and didn't stop from letting a smile pass her lips when he continued to stare at her.

When Thor and Fury walked into the room Steve almost looked away before someone else walked into the room behind them. She was slender in form and brought heat into the room with her, radiating it like a fire his eyes were caught on the way the ends of her red hair seemed to dance in the air of the room like little flames. Her skin was white against the redness of her hair and the soft crimson color of her eyes grazed past him as she looked across the room.

Steve couldn't help but stare at her exposed skin with the dress she was wearing, it seemed to be made of some sort of orange leafy material that draped over her body like a silk sheet. She wore nothing on her feet though there was a lightness in her step that made Steve want to grab onto her, she was stunning to say the very least.

Though he did slightly wonder about the men behind her who wore similar attire and were glaring darkly around the room before their eyes landed on him and he looked away quickly.

"Everyone, we have a new passenger that will be staying with us to help with our Loki problem," Fury explained motioning towards Pari with a firm expression. "Her name's Pari, she's-," Fury stopped short when he realized that he didn't know where she was from or even who she was besides her name.

"I'm from Ariv, the Kingdom of Flames. Though you do not know of it, all you need to know is that we are a powerful race and we do not take kindly to wars," she explained letting a stern expression fall onto her face.

"Why are you here?" A man with a quizzical look asked.

"Stark," Fury warned the man with a cold voice. Pari looked at the man with a smile before letting a bit of fire dance in her eyes; he screamed pride and arrogance, just like her father did.

"To help stop Loki," she muttered simply.

"Uh yeah, got that, locked up in a cage. You can go home now," he challenged her with a playful look in his eyes. One of her guards next to her growled and reached for his weapon, regardless of whether or not he liked watching over Pari he would not let some human speak to their Princess like that.

"My Lady," he spat out in a furious tone.

Pari merely held up her hand with a chuckle to silence him before she turned her icy eyes on the man Fury had called Stark.

"Do you not think he has a plan?" She questioned him and continued before he could speak again. "Does your arrogance cloud your judgment and make you foolish? He gave himself to you, he's not done yet," her tone was cold even with the heat that her body gave off.

Stark leaned his head back slightly while the man next to him let a soft chuckle escape his lips.

Steve whistled loudly before grinning over at Stark and glancing at Pari for a second.

"I like her," he muttered before getting up to walk away.

"Me too," Stark said letting a smile fall over his face. "So what do you know about Mr. Reindeer? Got any secrets I should know," Stark began to rattle off. He'd merely been testing her, to see if she would get angry and play along with him or if she would explode and try to kill him like her bodyguard had wanted to do.

"If you ask me nicely, I'll tell you," she mused lightly. Humans were interesting creatures.

After talking to Tony for a little while a man named Coulson offered to take her down to where they were holding Loki, Thor said he would go with her but she simply smiled at him and said no. When he didn't back down Pari glared at him and glanced at the two guards standing behind her, she would be fine. Before turning to follow Coulson Pari swung her arms around Thor in a tight hug that he returned with added vigor.

"It's good to see you," she whispered to him softly.

"You as well," he squeezed her again before she pulled away and started down the hall.

It was hard, to think that she was going to see Loki for the first time in a while, the last time she had seen Thor was at Loki's supposed funeral, they all thought he was dead. Pari had come quickly when Thor said something had happened to Loki, but she'd never expected that her friend would say that Loki had died. It had taken her months to stop crying every time she looked at something or saw anything that reminded her of Loki, she'd hated him and swore to never forgive him, but his death still left a hole in her heart.

When news came to Ariv that Loki was alive and had made a deal with the Chitauri Pari had been furious, relieved that he was alive, but more pissed off than ever that he could be as stupid as he was. So she set about finding Thor and helping him rid the poor planet of Earth from their burden which was known as Loki. She wasn't expecting to find a form of life that was as formidable as the humans, just after the first meeting she could feel the strength coursing through their veins.

"So, you're from the same place as Thor?" Coulson asked her curiously.

"No," she laughed shortly. "We come from different realms, but as a child, we played together," she said fondly.

"What kind of power do you have?" He pushed further. Pari had to smirk at the man's question, Thor had the hammer, Loki had his teleportation, and apparently there were other players with powers as well. She had to have some awesome power as well right?

"It's uhm, a little hard to explain," she frowned at him. "When the illira moves you'll know," she said with a quick smile.

"The illira?" Coulson glanced at her as they walked.

Pari stopped short in her conversation. In Ariv the illira is the type of energy that moves throughout the body when someone sparks their talent, depending on which kingdom the user is from it will create a blast of power similar to that of its user. For instance Pari's guards both have the same illira which is that of realm hopping, though it is weak and they can only use it so much it was enough to gain them jobs as soldiers. It was the only way Pari's father could be sure that she was safe when she went off on her their illira is released a small cloud of fiery energy erupts where they used to be, so they cannot be tracked or followed into the next realm.

If they were from another kingdom, say they were from Hirav, perhaps the temperature would drop and freeze anyone in the vicinity, or if they were from Johiv a gust of wind would cast everyone away. It is different for every Kingdom.

Of course such a thing as illira can be dangerous so ones powers have to be used wisely and only those who can control their power can also control their illira, else everyone would be a danger to themselves and the people around them. Many children have teleported and accidentally blown up their friends in the past, so now it had to be watched, not many people like it when their friends are blown into pieces.

"Something that happens when I use my power," she shortened the explanation a great deal.

"Ah," he said feeling that something had been left out. "Well he's in there, if you need anything, we'll know," he muttered before walking away.

"My Lady this is not a good idea, the last time you saw him he-," one of her guards started before she stopped him.

"Hush Vsaro," Pari glared at him darkly. "I don't need to be reminded of that," she smiled sadly at him. "You will stay out here, if I need any help I'll send you an illi-flash, okay?" She questioned them sternly. An illi-flash, according to Pari, is the signal she gives people when she wants them to shut up, usually it is a simple flash of fire in front of their eyes or if she's really angry a burning sensation at their feet.

"Yes, my Lady," they said before turning away from her to stand guard. Pari looked back at them before opening up the door and stepping inside and letting it close behind her with a metal clang. She wanted to take a moment to marvel at what the humans had created within their flying beast but held herself back when she felt the familiar presence of a trickster behind her.

Turning to face him Pari let any trace of a smile or look of happiness fall from her face before she held Loki's eyes with an air of loathing and resentment. Her eyes were cold as they looked at him; the flicker of a flame danced through them while her hair almost jumped into action and started burning. Only the tips of it started to move around frantically, her stern expression screamed nothing but business as she looked at her childhood friend with malice.

At one point in time they had been inseparable, as if they had come from the same womb, but a dark storm had raged between them and many things tore them apart. Mostly the blame was on the God of Mischief himself, not that he would admit to it, he hadn't seen Pari since her mother died and she had grown up a lot.

He regarded her as much the same if not for the shock in his eyes Pari would have felt regret for what was in the past bubble in her throat, but there was nothing to feel.

"I thought you were dead, Loki," she spoke his name icily.

"Funny, that's the second time I've heard that today," he bit back at her.

At first when the door had clanked closed Loki almost wanted to smile as he thought it was another agent trying to scare him, but the presence that this person held was familiar in all the wrong ways. The air in the room felt warmer than it had just a few moments before as if someone had lit a fire within the area and the waves of warm air were just now reaching him.

Immediately he knew who it was, a creature, a Goddess, which he had not seen in a very long time, his old playmate, Pari. Looking up at her Loki saw that she had yet to turn around and look at him herself, but that was fine because there was a bit of shock that came with seeing how much she had grown. The last time he had seen her she was barely of teenager years, though the fire in her eyes still remained when she had looked at him back then.

From where he stood in his little glass cage Loki could see that she had matured very well, she was slender and tall enough that he wouldn't have to look far down to catch her eyes. Her pale legs looked soft and he couldn't help but notice her curves as his stare went down to her bare feet, he remembered that as a child she had always hated wearing shoes or boots.

Then she finally turned to look at him and he knew not what to say, there was still a childish look to her face and yet he had never imagined that she could look so different and captivating. Though cold and icy Loki couldn't help but stare into her eyes as he saw them dance with small flames, even the tips of her hair seemed to be coming to life as they waved around. The dress she was wearing had broken sleeves that covered her shoulders but still exposed a gracious amount of skin, enough to make Loki anticipate the feel of it on his fingers.

There were a few things that halted his train of thought, the amount of hatred that she held in her eyes made him recall what had happened when they were children. The incident that caused Pari to leave Asgard and everything that led up to it, there was a reason she stared at him with such resentment.

Finally she spoke to him, the same thing that his brother had said earlier made Loki smirk candidly before he said just that. His voice ignited something within Pari that made her look away from him quickly, biting her lip she sighed deeply before looking back at him dully.

"You're a fool," she spat at him in a chilled tone.

This made Loki stop and smile at her icily, showing his white teeth he chuckled softly; she had always called him names when they were younger.

"Am I?" He asked her before turning around and away from her. It was a shock, to see her here, definitely not someone he had ever expected to show up and lecture him on whatever it was she had to say.

"This will not bring you the power you desire," she lifted her head defiantly. Loki had never been someone who you could easily talk to, yes; when they'd first met he followed her around because she had been pushy. But as soon as that was over with he never agreed to anything and often ignored anything that was logical, she had to beat sense back into sometimes, though it had been fun back then.

"You know nothing of this," he bit back at her without turning around. "Soon I will rule over this world, everything, all of them beneath me," he said raising his hand out for emphasis.

"You will not win," she muttered sitting down in the only chair in the room.

Loki almost turned around in a fit of rage, when he won he would make her bow down to him and beg for him not to kill her, then rip off her clothes and. Stopping himself short Loki traced back his own thoughts, where had such a thought as that come from? Pari wasn't even in the picture until she had popped up recently, why was she suddenly invading his thoughts?

"We had a passing for you," she murmured blandly. It was what the Kingdoms called a funeral.

All at once Loki could see Pari standing over his supposed casket, smiling with hatred and victory as he had been the one to die first, she had always hated him. Ever since she left the palace.

"Did you laugh?" He asked finally turning around to face her. She looked up at him suddenly, he saw a trace of sullenness in her eyes before it was replaced with distaste and she sneered at him. "Here you thought I had finally left, gone for good, and yet here I am," he raised both hands high, motioning towards himself triumphantly.

"This is why you're a fool," she spat out at him. "Whether or not you have an army you cannot win by yourself," her anger flared along with her illira. The room started to heat up amazingly fast while Pari's hair began to burn and spring up into flames, her eyes held a certain velocity that Loki hadn't expected.

"Why are you here Pari?" Loki finally asked letting his eyes harden considerably.

At that moment the door opened brashly before two men rushed in and stood between Pari and himself, the both of them regarded Loki with contempt and looked away from him as if he were a fly.

"Oh, so the Princess was not alone," he chuckled walking back to his pitiful excuse for a bed.

"We ask that you leave this creature my Lady," one of them said glancing at Loki for a second. He smirked at them then, letting them know that it was him who had caused their Lady to light up like an explosion.

"We can see what humans eat," Pari said with a cheerful smile.

Her temper calmed down enough for the room to cool down slightly and her hair to return to normal, though her eyes still shone viciously. Loki admired the rage that came with her power, he remembered the first time he saw it and how fearful he had been, of course they were only children back then.

Turning away from Loki the three of them walked towards the door slowly, the two men followed Pari protectively and almost ran into her when she stopped suddenly and turned to Loki with another frozen look on her face.

"I did laugh," she said trying to keep her voice from changing. "Before I wept," she said sadly. With that said she turned her head and walked out of the room, Loki waited until the door closed before he let a frown crease his features.

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**AN: I know I just kind of threw you in without a raft or whatever, but Pari is not a new character to Loki or Thor, if you read the other story you'll know. You don't have to, I mean it's short and wimpy, so why not?**

**Anyway, I hope you'll stick with me because I have big plans for this story.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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